There are several techniques employed for separating and purifying of metal components from metal alloys. These techniques involve for instance ion exchange separation, selective extraction, solvent extraction, and low temperature molten salt smelting.
Vacuum distillation or zone melting or a combination of these techniques also have been used to obtain high purity bismuth from alloys thereof.
Phase segregation in metal alloys induced by mechanical stress is well understood from the Cahne-Larche models. Similarly, Effect of interfacial surface energy on directional spinodal decomposition in deformable spheres under flow is well-understood as detailed by Lowengrub and Co-workers (FDMP, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 1-19, 2007). Thuo and co-workers have extended this knowledge into the so-called SLICE method to give patchy particles (PCT/US14/69802 filed Dec. 11, 2014, (WO/2015/089309) and Langmuir, 30, pp. 14308-14313, 2014). Despite tremendous advances in theoretical understanding of spinodal decomposition, and the prediction that Janus-type particles can be obtained as the ultimate thermodynamically relaxed state in binary systems, there have been no reports on spinodal decompositions resulting in purification or selective isolation of some components of a mixture or metal alloy.